The Girl on the shore
by letitbeme.x
Summary: A girl is found on the shore, she has no memory, will she with the help of her saviours remember who she was in time? Can love take hold before her old life come to snatch her away? 1800's.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing, charecters belong to SM. X**

**England, 1850**.

Grey in its awakening hours, the sea griped the shore in ever heightening reaches, each white tipped whisp eager to touch the frozen porcelain ankle of the girl as she lay oblivous to the rising world.

Sea gulls white wings caught the suns dimned oragne rays as they rode the gentle breaze, the sound fo their calls echoing off of the stony confines of the bay in harmonious choruses.

Peace had been broken with the dawning of a new day, yet the girl did not wake, her sodden form stayed as it was unmoving except for short breaths that stumbled as if weighed dwon by stones or encased in lead.

"Edward!" a voice shouted startled the owners feet piced up their pace, small heals sinking into the moist sand crushing pearlescent shells in their haste.

"Edward come quickly!" the femanine voice called again paniced. The sight before her drained the colour from her face as if a plug had been pulled.

Her companion looked on at her the tails of his coat floating around him as he piced up his own pace in alarm at her panic.

"Alice calm down, what is the matter?" he questioned his deep voice betraying his own panic beneath its exteria of calm. Alice ran out of view leaving him cold in his alarm.

Alice did not reply only only shout to him to ove faster. Unable to hold his own panic a moment longer he ran in the young womans direction taking off his hat incase it should fall onto he sand.

Alice hitched up her skirts as she ran ever closer to the figure in the sand. Edwards vision zoned in on the object of alices frenzy, in his line of sight was a grey form.

A figure.

A... woman.

A...girl?

Edwards heart picked up, his mind froze and horror took the place of confussion. And he too ran towards the girl.

Upon reaching her Alice, with shaking gloved fingers, swept the frozen sand flecked tangled strands of hair from the girls face to reveal skin that was iredecent with the colours of death. Blue lips slightly apart and lavender eyelids closed gave her the appearance of a sleepoing corpse.

"Oh my God." The raven haired woman whispered as she franticaly wiped the girls face searching the stillness for signs of life, anything!

"Edward what do we do?" she asked in a stragnled voice looking up at him her green eyes welling with tears.

Edward knealt at the girls side, the moist sand chilling him to the bone, his eyebrows knitted together worriedly. Taking off one of his leather gloves he gently placed a finger on her throat but was instently drawn back when the sensative warm pad of his finger came into contact with the coldness of her flesh.

Alice watched Edward as his expression concentrated and waited for the confirmation of life. The beach stilled, the waves ceased their movement for moments.

An almost unnoticable _thump-a-thump_ was fellt under Edwards fingertips. His head shot up "She's alive." He said, a relieved sigh escaped Alice and she took hold one of the girls marble hands and sqeezed it tightly.

Edwards expression however did not reflect Alices, his remained as cold as the girl before him. He looked down at her face and a stab of ice hit his heart, she looked like an angel that had been drowned and spat back out of the sea and left for dead.

"Edward we can not leave her here-" but before she was able to finnish her plea Edward had scooped up the gril into his arms and was making his back up the beach.

Edward shivered as the wetness of her billowing dress whipped around him, Alice ran behind him.

Questions followed Alice as they made their way home. _Who was the girl? And why was she here?_ But the one thing she was sure of was that it was _her_, the one she had seen but she found no confort in confirmation that _she_ was real, no Alice could find no comfort in the darkness that creapt into her visons.

**Thankyou for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you think.x**


	2. Chapter 2

**I own Thank you for reviewing and adding it to your lists, glad you are enjoying it.x**

Orange flames danced up the beige walls of the warm room, the same flames crackled and clapped soothingly to the worried people in the small room.

"She was so blue." Alice whispered to herself as she stroked the girls pale hand. The "Girl" she was called for she had no name to Edward and Alice, she lay tucked tightly into a bed made of assorted blankets and pillows, a colourful array of woollen patterns made the translucency of her skin stand out in the contrast.

Edward had carried the girl back to the pair's cottage and placed her like with feather light gentleness onto one of the beds, Alice's hands fussed over her, washing her skin and hair and then combing it softly cooing words of worry and softness as if the unconscious girl could hear her. Alice had then dressed her in a fresh night gown and put the dress she had been found in a bucket to fill with warm water to then wash.

Edward of course had stayed in the living room part of their cottage and had paced the length of the room, not even the fire in the room could defrost him from his frozen state. The events of the past few hours had unnerved him beyond explanation. Of course seeing a half dead girl lying on a beach could unnerve the strongest of men and Edward was no different.

The pair had wanted to call for the village doctor but Doctor Gerardy had left town to get more supplies as the recent outbreak of scarlet fever in the infant's school had drain him of them. So using the knowledge their mother had passed onto them Edward and Alice fought to get the girl warm and her heartbeat to a less concerning rate.

The sun had set since then and with the darkening of the day came the trials of the night.

Edward looked at the clock and went into the room to fetch Alice for their evening meal, with the absence of a cook or maid Edward had laboured over the stove for the day's excruciatingly slow hours, today more so than usual. He had prepared a broth for the girl but he doubted she would be able to consume it.

"Alice?" he said as he entered the room, at first he was hit by the heat that radiated around the confines of the room. Then he noticed the girl, or should I say this was the first time he actually noticed the girl. She was no longer the girl he had found on the shore, the pallor of her skin remained the same but the chocolate sheen her hair possessed was new and intriguing.

Alice had stayed by the girl's side long after she had fallen asleep, her dainty head resting uncomfortably back on the chair she sat on, her hand still held the girls.  
Edward allowed himself to smile only for a moment at his sister attentiveness. Walking with quiet feet Edward approached Alice, Alice dinners ready. He whispered, his sister jumped slightly her startled un-rested green eyes widening.

"I fell asleep ...oh god what if she woke and I wasn't-" she whispered angrily at herself.  
"Alice its is fine, come you must eat." He assured her. She cast a hesitant look at the girl then placed the cold hand onto the bed and patted it gently.

"Who do you think she is Edward?" Alice asked as she moved her food around her plate. Edward had never seen his sister like this before, she was a worried and caring person by nature overly so even but usually she was able to use her Sight to assure her things would be alright.

"I was hoping you could tell me." He replied taking a deep swig from his ale mug, he wasn't aiming to be so tight but he felt his sister frustration.

A dark cloud settled over the young woman's face, her eyebrows knitting together. "I don't understand Edward! I just don't understand." Her voice was helpless; she dropped her fork and pushed away her plate the food in her mouth tasting suddenly sour.

"Edward what did you find in the pocket of her dress?" she asked him, Edward withdrew from his pocket what he had found and placed it on the table underneath the flickering light of the candle sticks.

On the white cloth lay half a dozen French francs, a broach and a mother of pearl paper knife. Alice shivered as the candle light caught the silver blade of the knife.

"There were some papers in her pocket as well, or they were papers but the sea ruined them." Edward said as he too looked at the display in confusion.

The pair could only guess at why the girl would have such a crude weapon in her pocket, had she had to use it? They didn't want to think about it.

"This doesn't explain who she is. I don't see a name written on anything." Alice said Edward shook his head in agreement.

"Maybe she can tell us when she wakes up?" he asked, but the thought of it didn't settle the uncertainty in his stomach.

"Edward, there were bruises on her ribs." Alice s voice was quiet and her head was bowed another shiver ran through her as she remembered the large black patches on the girl delicate skin.

Edwards head shot up and his blood ran cold. His mind scrambled to find logical conclusion, "The rocks Alice, the bay has rocks." But his explanation sounded like a lie.  
Alice might have been able to see things but Edward could read people like a book and he knew there was more behind his sister's statement, and it turned his stomach.

"Someone gave her those bruises didn't they? He said Alice nodded her head.

"There were finger marks." Silence encased the two as they stared at the ominous objects on the table.

"How was the girl when you left her Alice?" he asked looking at the door which separated them from the girl.

"Much the same, she is slightly warmer now and some of the colour is coming back to her. The sooner the doctor gets back the better, I don't know what I can do if she gets any worse, mother-"

" Everything will be ok Alice." He said before his sister could push herself further into her despair. Edward rose from his chair "Come on Alice its time to see how she is before we turn in for the night." He said and made his way to the room.

The girl was much the same as they had left her. Edward knelt down by the bed and with his gentle finger he monitored her pulse, it was stronger and the chill was leaving the girl flesh.

"So?" Alice asked nervously from behind him, the flames from the fire illuminating her face as she looked on. The little copper hands of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked by rhythmically like the beats of a heart, they prolonged the seconds.

"She is improving. "He said relief was evident in his voice. He studied her face more closely, her skin was slowly coming back to life and her lips were losing their blue hue. She couldn 't be more than a teenager he thought as he took in the youthfulness of her sleeping face, a small sprinkling of freckles across her smooth nose was becoming more evident. It was surface to say Edward had not seen anyone quite like her even in her unconscious state.

"She will be beautiful when she awakes." Alice said almost smugly behind him.

_She is beautiful now_, he wanted to say back.

"I think it is time to retire for the night now Alice, let the girl rest." He said but his hand remained on the girl's wrist.

Alice nodded and wiped her eyes then sleepily made her way to the door.

Suddenly Edward felt a slight pressure on his hand.

"Edward!" Alice shouted, the sound of her thumbing feet ran through the cottage.

She stumbled through the door just as Edward looked down at the girl.

Her eyes were open.

She was awake.

**Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it please review and tell me what you **


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing.x**

Large brown eyes stared up their depth still hazy and clouded with confusion and incomprehension. The girl on the bed felt her body was a dead weight covered in blankets, she could not think only see what was before her. She did know what was before her.

Only moments before Alice had come running into the room and explanation dying on her lips as she saw with her eyes the girl looking up at her brother.

"Hello." Alice said softly, the girl broke her contact with Edward and turned towards her, she opened her mouth to talk but a sharp clawing at her throat caught her breath making her coughed, it rocked her body painfully, her small hand reached up to grip her through as if she could extinguish the scratching flames with in it.

Alice reached for the glass of cool water on the bedside table but Edward was already helping the girl drink the water.  
Alice watched as her brother held the girl up with one strong arm and holding the glass in the other hand. He did not even flinch as water spilled onto him he carried on speaking softly to the girl.

"There there this will help it." He whispered as he lay her back down. She gasped for air spluttering occasionally.

"I'm Alice." Alice said as cheerfully as she could manage and walked towards her and gently pushed her brother out of the way, the girls eyes fluttered.

"Are you ok? Do you need anything?" the girl ignored Alice's question as her vision tried to correct itself. Shaped blurred and colours inked together.

"Can you talk?" her voice was getting more panicked; she gripped the girls hand to let her know that she was there.  
"I-" the girl's voice was hoarse and scratch away at her throat.

"Don't try to speak." Edward interjected softly casting a disapproving look towards Alice.

"Edward we need to know her name." she huffed back.

The girl's brain swirled painfully as she tried to make sense of what was happening as the two strangers looked down at her with a mixture of worry and hope.

"Where am I?" she managed to wheeze out even though the words did not sound like hers, they were too weak and scratchy.

"You are in my cottage, my brother and I found you on the beach, you gave us quiet a scare." Alice told her. The girls eyes fluttered, the squeezed them shut tight her mind reeling from this new information. She didn't remember anything about a beach... only being cold.. .so cold.

She shivered at the vague memory, Edward noticed this and grabbed the blue cashmere shawl that was hanging loosely on Alice s shoulders and quickly but ever so gently wrapped it around the girls shoulder.

"I don't remember." The new owner of the shawl said quietly hot tears of frustration pooling behind her eyelids. A sharp pain in the corner of her head made her cry out.

"Alice! Enough questions." Edward demanded sharply, he made a move to get Alice out of the way to check the girl but Alice was already checking the girls head and fussing over her.

"Where does it hurt? Is there anything I can do, are you ok oh god Edward what do I do?" Alice was talking fast and fuelled by panic as the girl clutched her head and whimpered.

"Alice she must have hit her head on the rocks, I need you to go and get me some more water and the chloroform please, quickly." Edward told her calmly, she quickly did as she was told and ran out the room.

Edward sat on the bed next the girl and removed her hands from her head with gentle encouragement.

"Please make it stop!" she gasped squeezing his hands tightly as if the pain could flow like energy from his hands to his. Edward for the first time in a while was struggling to keep calm. It was an art, keeping calm, one that he had mastered with perfection over the years, but now he found his learning slowly slipping away. The same alarmed feeling that was with him earlier on in the morning had taken root and refused to disappear.

"Shh." He soothed fore that was that entire he could do until sister returned with the medicine. Without thinking he swept the smooth silken hair from the girl face dislodging glistening crystal tracks of tear from her cream cheeks. He tucked it behind her ear.

Her whimpering ceased until he heard just her heavy breathing. He quickly removed his hand upon realising what he was doing.

"Has it passed?" Edward asked. The girl nodded.

Alice came back into the room carrying a tray with a sparkling glass of water and blue bottle of liquid and a folded white handkerchief. Her eyes were on Edwards hand as it held the girls; Alice did not so much as raise an eyebrow. Edward stood up and took the medicine from Alice.

"Here this should make you sleep until the pain has passed." He then proceeded to soak the cloth in the sickly sweet liquid.

The girl surprised Alice and Edward by sitting up and backing into the head bored her eyes filled with terror.  
"No! Please not that!" she shouted only making her self-cough viciously.

Edward placed the bottle back down and gave Alice a questioning looked she just shrugged her shoulders and looked at the girl with sympathetic alarm.

"It's ok I won't give you that stuff." Edward told the girl reassuringly, Alice quickly placed the offending blue bottle onto the mantelpiece above the fire place out of site and hopefully for the girl out of mind.

"Can you tell us your name? I do not know what to call you and I can't have a guest with no name." Alice said as she sat down in her chair.

The girl thought for a moment but nothing came to mind, it was the simplest question yet no name surfaced. Nothing. It was as if her brain was an empty cupboard that had once been full only ghosts of thoughts remained just like cobwebs do in a long deserted cupboard.

"I-I can't ...remember." her voice was low and full of disbelief.

Edward and Alice gasped. Alice felt herself reeling and cursing herself, _why hadn't I seen this! I should have seen this!_

"You hit your head, you have amnesia." Edward said his voice calm once more. There was no room for questioning Edwards s diagnosis. The bay was full of rocks and the currant was often very strong, more boats were wrecked coming going into the harbour round the corner of the bay than Edward was able to recount.

The girl slumped back into the cushions exhaustion rolling off of her like ocean spray.

"Well she must have a name, she is going to be here for a while." Alice whispered to her brother, he just looked at her slightly taken aback but knowing better than to question her. Edward looked back at the girl on the bed; she had pulled the woollen blanket tightly around her shoulders and was facing away from them.

He then looked into his sisters worried green eyes, much like his own in every sense. Without saying words of agreement Alice went to sit on the bed next to the girl. She looked up at Alice with a mixture of confusion and frustration.

"What am I to do?" she asked choking on a sob those deep brown eyes welling with shinning unshed tears. Alice reached for her hand and gripped it softly.

"You shall stay with us. It is just us two in the cottage I promise you you will be safe." Alice said Edward nodded in agreement shifting suddenly uncomfortably on his feet. The looked up at him, he gave her a swift smile then looked away.  
"T-thank you." She whispered. Alice shook her head as if the girl were talking nonsense.

"Do not fret, we have been waiting for-for company for a while." Alice gushed catching herself slightly.

"But you must have a name!" Alice suddenly exclaimed. Edward let out a small chuckle at his sister's sudden enthusiasm. Even the girl through her confused emotions smiled slightly.

"Now let me see, you look like a..." Alice was silent for a moment, her dainty finger resting on her chin as she scrutinised the girls features as if her name was written on her cheek bones.

The girl blushed slightly from Alice s searching green eyes.

"Joan?" she said after a while. She looked at Edward for his opinion. He shook his head sharply his alabaster face contorted with disgust.

"Yes you're probably right; we had an Aunt Joan, horrible woman." She muttered shaking her head of the memory.  
"How does Lillian sound?" she tried, but again it was met with disapproval.

"Ah! I know Cecilia!" Alice exclaimed clapping her hands, the girl looked towards Edward. He too looked at her and scrutinized her himself, her blush intensified as she lay under his gaze.

"Marie." He said his plush lips forming the words effortlessly.

Alice gasped then jumped to her feet "That's perfect Edward! I knew you agree!" she squealed.

"Your name is Marie, my name is Alice and this is my brother Edward nice to meet you." She said offering Marie her hand to shake which she did with a small amused smile.

"Marie, it sounds like it could have been my name. It's pretty." Marie said.

Unbeknownst to the two girls Edward nodded to himself agreeing with them.

Marie yawned giving Edward the cue to escort his sister from the room.

"Come on Alice, let leave M-Marie to rest, you will see her in the morning." Alice nodded and left the room. Edward soon followed her but only after he was sure the girl was confortable from his place by the door.

Edward lay in bed that night listening to the waves that had carried the girl-Marie- to their door, and for some unknown reason he was glad that his sister had predicted right. He fell asleep thinking of those deep eyes that has a jewel like quality to them that shinned with so many secrets, and Edward couldn't help but be intrigued.

Thank you for reading. Please review and tell me what you think. xxx


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